Below is the video and transcript of Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger press conference following the Thursday OTA practice session. It is the first time Ben has met the media since being reinstated to practice with team.

Opening Statement: I know you guys have been waiting to talk to me, and I have to you. I just want to let you guys know how good it is to be back on the field. It’s been a long time away. It’s been hard, but I’ve been putting in a lot of time and effort, and working hard, both on and off the field, while I’ve been gone. It’s not the same. I love football to death, but I think it’s meant more to be out here with my teammates, my brothers, my family, if you will, so that’s what has been really neat about being back out here. I’ve put a lot of thought into my life, decisions I’ve made in the past that I’ve been sitting at home thinking about things, and working closely with the Commissioner on ways to make changes, corrections. I’m looking forward to the second chance and the second opportunity, not just in football – because I think everybody knows what you’re going to get in football – but in life. I think that’s what is more important. I’m happy to be out here, and even kind of happy to see you guys again.

Question: Can you talk about the public support from your teammates, and do you look at this as a new beginning?

Ben Roethlisberger: It’s been great to read and hear from those guys. Not just text messages and calls they sent to me, but to read the things in the media they say. That’s why I say it’s great to be out here with my brothers. They really are family to me. I have spent a lot of time evaluating and looking at my life both on and off the field and I think this is s a time for me to close the chapter on the last couple of years of my life and move on to a new one, kind of a new start. I am really excited about it.

Question: What kind of changes are you talking about that you want to make?

Ben Roethlisberger: A lot of them are personal things, which is just something I need to do. It’s been neat being able to re-evaluate my life and spend time with my family and re-evaluate and re-figure what’s important in life. That’s me. Evaluating what I need to do and be smarter when it comes to certain things. It’s a new chapter. I am looking forward to it. It starts with football. I am glad to be back out here.

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The Steelers continued on in their OTA session on Wednesday and head coach Mike Tomlin met the media to answer a few questions. You can listen to the audio below from the PPG. Scott Brown has the transcript as well.

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Wide receiver Hines Ward and center Justin Hartwig have been limited during offseason practices thus far, but Tomlin addressed the Hartwig situation when asked on Wednesday. He is still recovering from the shoulder surgery he had in the offseason and Tomlin sees no reason to rush him back. He reportedly be ready come the start of training camp.

Running back coach Kirby Wilson said on Wednesday that Frank Summers has been working primarily at fullback this offseason. If Frank the Tank is to win a roster spot, then it seems he will need to do so at that position, meaning that the Steelers could indeed carry one less tight end on the active roster come week 1. David Johnson and Sean McHugh may both be on the outside looking in right now or on the bubble at best.

Rookie cornerback Crezdon Butler has made an impression on secondary coach Ray Horton. "(No.) 40 is rising," Horton said of Butler, a 6-1, 190-pounder drafted in the fifth round. "I know I'm talking about a rookie, but it looks like he's going to make our team better." This is great news from a late round round pick, especially being he is a cornerback as well. Butler's name shows up quite a bit in practice reports for good things. He will be one to watch for sure at Latrobe.

Speaking of running backs, Mewelde Moore sat down with 93.7 The Fan Jon Burton at Tuesday’s OTAs and weighed in on Ben’s return. He also tells us where he fits in the Steelers’ crowded backfield, and previews what new tricks the offense could have up their sleeves this fall.

Kara Henderson has a full video report for NFL.com and the NFL Network. The segment revolves around on how the Steelers are handling first-team reps at quarterback. Warren Sapp and Rod Woodson give their 2 cents late in the segment as well.

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The Steelers signed free agent wide receiver Brandon London to a futures contract this past week. London has spent time with both the Giants and Dolphins since graduating from Massachusetts and will be competing at training camp for one of 4 or 5 receiver spots on the 2010 roster. Steelers Depot caught up with Brandon and he was gracious enough to answer a few questions for us.

Steelers Depot: Not many people know that your father is the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers. How is having a coach for a father? Does it make you more coachable than most players? What advice has he given you since your release from the Dolphins?

Brandon London: Having a father as a coach is a tremendous asset and a huge advantage. Some kids take advantage of it and some choose another path in life. My dad used to workout and do all kind of drills with me since before I could remember. He's taught me how to break down film and most importantly he's helped me develop a winner's attitude! I think that's the biggest trait I'm grateful of. That attitude has made me work very hard over the years just to get my foot in the door, and it helped me get through the 09' season since I watched it from a T.V. instead of being on the field. It was pretty discouraging at times and a lot of people would have gave up football as a whole and moved on. I used it as motivation.

Steelers Depot: What did you learn most in your time with both the Giants and Dolphins that you think will help you make the Steelers 53 man roster in 2010?

Brandon London: When I was with the Giants, I got to pick the brain of Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer. Those two are very good receivers similar in body length and body type as I am. I re-learned how to use my body when running routes, and keeping a defender off me when the ball is coming. In the NFL its the little things that turn into a big play. Plaxico would always pull me to the side and have some sort of tip waiting for me when I finished running the scout team routes and he would always make me get on the Jugs Machine after practice to make me strengthen my hands. Without his guidance I don't think I would have strengthen my skills as fast as the way I did. I owe him a lot! With the Dolphins I learned that you shouldn't take a day of football for granted, everyday can be your last day!

Steelers Depot: At 6-4, it would mean you would currently be one of the tallest receivers on the Steelers roster next to Limas Sweed. The Steelers have been looking for a big receiver ever since Plaxico Burress left and Sweed has disappointed up until now. Do you feel your height gives you an advantage in your game and is your strongest asset?

Brandon London: I'd be lying if I didn't say it was definitely a strong point of my game. I like being a guy you can throw the ball up to in the red-zone and go after it. Being a tall receiver you're almost like a 'get outta jail free card.' You can help a quarterback get out of sticky situations sometimes!

Steelers Depot: You were described as an excellent special teams player while with the Dolphins. Undoubtedly you know the Steelers need help in this area as well and it could be the difference in you making the roster as a #4 or #5 receiver. Is special teams a mindset with you? Are you mostly used as a gunner?

Brandon London: I look at special teams as a 'place at the table.' If you excel on special teams then its only going to help you get playing time at natural position. You can only dress a certain number of guys on game day, so if you dress 5 Wr's, two of them are going to have to have some sort of special team value to them. That's just the way the game is. My mindset is make the 53 anyway I can. If I had to I'd kick, punt and/or Long Snap(even though I can't do either) just to make the 53 man roster. I just want to play ball and be a part of something!

Steelers Depot: You once mentioned in an online chat that your weaknesses were getting in and out of your breaks faster and your on the field strength. How have these two areas of your game coming along. Do you still consider them weaknesses?

Brandon London: No not at all, from the time I said that during the interview to now I have worked my butt off to turn that weakness into a strength. I owe a lot to my old Dolphins Receiver Coach Karl Dorrell because he would put us through a lot of drills during practice that really helped me grasp the concept of staying low in the break and exploding out of it! On top of that, working with Jeff Sanders who runs Athletic Edge Sports Performance in Boca Raton, FL and my current trainer E.J Barthel who runs ETS in Teterboro, NJ, they've helped strengthen my legs and I have become a more explosive athlete.

Steelers Depot: Where will you be working out in the offseason?

Brandon London: Right now I'm working with E.J Barthel at ETS in Teterboro, NJ as I mentioned before. I want to get to Pittsburgh soon and begin working with Coach Giemont so he can assess me and see what areas I need to develop at and get better at before we start off-season workouts. I have heard great things about him and I am very anxious to work with him.

Steelers Depot: Once again Brandon, thanks for your time and all of Steeler Nation looks forward to seeing you at training camp in Latrobe. We wish you the best of luck in 2010 and can not wait to see your contributions.

Brandon London: Thanks!

Below are a few videos I dug up on Brandon London from his early NFL days.

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The Steelers signed linebacker Derrick Doggett to a futures contract on Tuesday. Doggett has played for the last two season in the CFL and most recently for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were he established himself as the one of the leagues top special teams players in 2009 and proved he can be a solid linebacker as well. Doggett played his college ball at Oregon State. Steelers Depot caught up with him and he was gracious enough to answer a few questions for us.

Steelers Depot: How long was your workout with the Steelers and what type of drills did they put you through?

Derrick Doggett: It was a great opportunity to work out with the Steelers this week. The workout was about 30 min. They put me through linebacker and special teams drills. They charted my time for the 40-yard dash.

Steelers Depot: In addition to being a contributor on special teams, have the Steelers decided if they want you to work as a safety or linebacker on defense? Which position do you feel you are better suited for?

Derrick Doggett: They’ve decided to focus on my skills in the linebacker position. Throughout my college career I played as linebacker with the Oregon State Beavers. I feel very comfortable playing that position.

Steelers Depot: Without a doubt you have heard about the Steelers special teams struggles during the 2009 season. You established yourself as a force on special teams in 2009 in the CFL. What role and position did you play on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers special teams unit this past season?

Derrick Doggett: Everybody can’t play on special teams. You really have to have the mindset to be ready to go down the field and hit somebody. I feel good about my role on special teams because I keep myself alert and ready to make a tackle or a block. Since I developed my skills on special teams, I feel like I can help my team gain momentum during games.

Steelers Depot: Coming out Oregon State, what area of your game have you worked on most to prove that NFL teams were wrong for not drafting you in 2008? What was the biggest pre-draft knock on you?

Derrick Doggett: I’ve been working a lot trying to put on good weight so that teams can see me as a good linebacker since this is where I feel most comfortable playing. But I’ve worked on everything overall; from footwork to weight to my hands. I’ve worked on my mental preparation for practices and game day. I’m working hard to improve in all areas of my game. My weight really held me back in the pre-draft. I was a “tweener” to a lot of the teams and they weren’t sure if I would be better as a linebacker or a safety. But I’ve gotten my weight up to the 220s now and I plan to continue to improve my weight and maintain my skills as I gain.

Steelers Depot: Which current NFL player would you say that your play most resembles and why?

Derrick Doggett: I don’t really think my play resemble just one player. I have skills that are similar to the talents of a lot of different players in the NFL. I try to learn from the best qualities in my favorite players and incorporate what I see into my own game.

Steelers Depot: Once again, thanks for your time and all of Steeler Nation looks forward to seeing you at training camp in Latrobe. We wish you the best of luck and can not wait to see your contributions, especially on special teams.

Derrick Doggett: Thanks for the interview appreciate it.

Below are a few videos I dug up on Derrick from his Oregon State days.

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Audio from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin season ending press conference following the 2009-2010 on Tuesday January 5th, 2010. Transcript to follow!

Head coach Mike Tomlin held his season ending press conference today and I will post the notes I have shortly, but wanted to get the audio up first. Bookmark this post and re-visit shortly.

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Mike Tomlin: Good Afternoon. I probably would much rather be addressing this group in regards to preparing to play this week but that is not the case. What we are here talking about is what we’re doing at this moment, as a staff, as a team, as an organization. The evaluation of our ’09 performance is kind of in its infancy, but I’ll give you a little background in terms of what’s been going on to this point. I met with football team yesterday. It’s always a somber meeting. I haven’t been in one of those meetings that isn’t, unless you’re preparing for a parade, of course we aren’t, but we talked very directly about some of the things that had us a brought us to that point. The central point that I made to the football team in regards to evaluation of this season if you will, this thing is going to have so many layers, but first and foremost, we’re a team that was 2-4 in our division. To me, to us, it starts there. That is the only guaranteed ticket to this dance that we’re not participating in. If you want a team to be championship-caliber, it starts with division dominance. We weren’t that by any stretch, we’re 2-4 in our division, we were 0-3 on the road in our division. If you’re going to be a world championship-caliber team, you’ve got to be able to go into hostile environments versus known competitors and win. We weren’t able to do that. You could talk about the 0-5 stretch that we had, well I look at that 0-5 stretch as I sit here today and we were 0-3 in the division during that stretch. More disturbing than the 0-5, you know the importance of division play. We weren’t, so we’re watching. There’s a sting that comes with being on the outside looking in, particularly with the way guys fought back over the last three weeks, but that’s the reality of our business. We’re not going to cry over that spilt milk. We’ really were blessed to have a fighting chance if you look at it in Week 17. I think back to what New England did a year ago, they were 11-5 on the outside looking in, so 9-7 is us, we’re on the outside looking in and we accept that. What I’m doing today and over the next couple of days is meeting with everybody on our football team individually from captain to practice squad player to injured/reserved player. Information-gathering, directing, reviewing what happened, looking ahead towards the future with those guys individually, when I get done with that, I’ll begin to process and do the same thing with the staff. One of the things I’ve learned about this job, the longer I have it, is information-gathering is big, reviewing is big. It kind of provides insight in terms of moving forward, so these are very valued meetings that I’m having right now and will continue for the greater part of this week. Other than that, very little to say, I sure there’s a bunch of questions, I’ll be happy to field them.

Question: You often talked about championship-level football, that didn’t happen, but talk about the three wins at the end of the season, talk about the experience of that for players coming back.
Mike Tomlin: From my perspective, you learn more in failure than you do in success, I acknowledge that. I learned a lot about a lot of men that I worked with, watching these guys fight back over the last three weeks and giving ourselves a chance, I did. That’s a positive. In terms of a winning record and things of that nature, I think I was pretty clear after the game in Miami that my mentality is singular in that I want to be World Champs each and every year. That’s what we work toward, I have a tough time acknowledging levels of success shorter than that. That’s just how I’m wired, I think that’s how you need to be wired in order to be a consistent competitor in this league. That’s the mentality I want this football team to have and I believe that they have that, so I acknowledge that it probably measures a feel-good or what have you in regards to how we finished this thing, but the reality is that we’re not where we desire to be. So we’re going to make appropriate adjustments with that in mind as we prepare and push forward toward ’10 and we’ll have a singular focus in ’10, which will be the team that the confetti falls on.

Question: How important was it that you finished strong despite making the playoffs?
Mike Tomlin: I don’t know, I’m not one to believe that any kind of momentum or what have you carries over from one year to the next, I think there’s value in that, I learned a lot about the guys, their mental makeup, their willingness to fight, their willingness to stick together, I think that is useful. I think that’s something to build upon in that the guys that you continue to work with, you’ve got a better intimate knowledge about what they’re capable of in the midst of adversity, but to assume that’s going to carry over in any form or fashion in ’10, I think would be naïve and I don’t want to be that.

Question: James Harrison said there was an attitude problem that needed to change and that some players were playing for more individual goals than team goals, are you worried he said that? Did you notice that?
Mike Tomlin: Everybody has an opinion and I respect that. I’ve always believed that when pressed in the midst of losing, you say things maybe that you think people want you to say or you look for reasons why you lose, I tend to focus solely on winning. Anytime you’ve got a collection of men, I’m talking about 53 players, practice squad players and staff, there’s going to be issues and things of that nature, there’s going to be personal agendas and so forth. We had similar issues when we won the Lombardi. Anytime you’re working with a large number of people, it’s going to be very tough to have a pure environment, a utopia if you will. I’m a realist, I recognize that some of those things, selfishness, is part of putting together a football team, shoot, it’s part of putting together a basketball team and usually it’s 15-18 guys on those teams. Selfishness is part of it, it just is, it always will be, but wins and losses are black and white and it’s pure, it’s purity. I didn’t think it was anything uniquely different with any team I’ve been involved with, I didn’t think it prevented us from winning, I didn’t think it was abnormal if you will.

Question: I’m sure you do this every year, examining what you do and how you do it. Is that ratcheted up in a season where you were not as successful as you’d like and looking at some of the things that you do and thinking that they might be getting a little stale, doing some things a little too frequently?
Mike Tomlin: Sure it is. I think that’s natural. But I’d also like to think that I have that same mentality in the midst of success. I think I had that mentality at year ago, as I sit here today. Of course, it wasn’t very effective, but that’s what this part of the year is about for me and for us and for everyone. I wish that it started maybe a month from now, but it’s not. It’s the process of breaking down what it is that we did and how we did it and how we can make appropriate changes to improve it and increase our chances of being that singular team in 2010. So it is refreshing. That’s why this job never gets stale for me. I quickly transition into a different mentality and I really do the same job in a different way this time of the year. And really, I’m excited about doing that.

Question: More specifically, I’m sure if you had to sit and talk about on the field issues you could talk for hours about it. But focus on the situational aspects of third down offense, the red zone offense, and the third down defense which slipped and whether that’s a particular area of all of them where Troy’s [Polamalu] absence was felt.
Mike Tomlin: Situational football defines us. I’ve said that a lot in good times and in bad. It’s no surprise to me that we were below the line at times in that area because we’re sitting here today. That’s why I put the emphasis on it that I do. It’s the difference between winning and losing. When you’re good, you dominate those moments. When you’re average, you sometimes dominate those moments. And when you’re bad, very rarely do you dominate those moments. We’ve had our moments, not good enough, not championship caliber. The presence of Troy, or the lack of presence of Troy, is what it is. I think I’ve been pretty clear in regards to my mentality with that. Injuries are as much a part of football as blocking and tackling. We are paid to adjust, to improvise, to overcome, to still find winning formulas. We didn’t do that enough. There were times that we did it. We did it in Denver, when Troy didn’t play. We did it very less frequently after that. Such is life. It’s not a problem or an issue that’s singular to us. Troy is a unique kind of a player, I acknowledge that. Baltimore played a lot of football this year without Ed Reed, and they’re preparing to play this week.

Question: James Harrison also mentioned that he thought there would be major changes. Is this a team that needs major changes that you foresee making?
Mike Tomlin: I don’t approach making major changes in response to our record or anything. I like to use the term “appropriate change”. And those aren’t knee-jerk reactions, those aren’t quick decisions. It’s built over time as you evaluate what it is that we put on tape. It’s a process, starting yesterday. We’re at the infancy of that process, if you will. My mentality is and always will be to make appropriate changes, so big changes are not something that I necessarily buy into. Appropriate changes are.

Question: Do anticipate coaching staff changes?
Mike Tomlin: Again, I have yet to meet with our staff individually. I acknowledge in today’s NFL that’s potentially part of it. I know that Ken Anderson is retiring. He and I have already had that discussion. I appreciate the work that he’s done here for us. He’s an awesome guy, an awesome coach, and been in this league 40 years. I guess it’s okay to go play a little golf, if that’s what he desires. More power to him. I don’t have any hobbies like that. Maybe one day, my mentality will change. But Ken is retiring, that is one change that I know of. I have yet to visit with other people, so, like I said, in a lot of ways the evaluation of this season and the process of moving forward for 2010 is in its infancy as I sit here today.

Question: If there are coaching changes, how does that process work? Is it your decision, or is it a collaborative effort between you and Kevin Colbert?
Mike Tomlin: It’s primarily my decision, but it is a collaborative effort in a lot of issues. But I believe there will be an appropriate time to talk about that. We’re just trying to get our feet on the ground and start this process as I sit here today.

Question: When did Ken tell you he was retiring?
Mike Tomlin: It was a discussion that he and I had as early back as last offseason, the potential of. And then of course, once this season came to a close, we quickly had a discussion and he made that decision.

Question: When you sit down to have these individual meetings, is there a lot of give and take, or does it just depend on who you’re speaking to?
Mike Tomlin: It depends on who I’m speaking to. In order to have give and take, both parties have to be willing. Sometimes, I sit across from guys and they want to tell me what they I think I want to hear. Some guys tell you the truth. I quickly try to decipher what I’m working with and try to make the meeting as productive as I possibly can. It’s a natural process for me. It’s something that I enjoy, and it’s something that, more importantly, is necessary.

Question: The guys whose contracts are up, these meetings now, is there any discussion about that or is that further down the road?
Mike Tomlin: More review than looking forward, but you acknowledge that there are certain guys that that is an issue and something that you want to address and begin to process, if you will. I met with Casey Hampton yesterday and talked about what’s going to happen over the next couple of months, or what’s potentially over the next couple of months, with him. But it is a process. It is in its infancy.

Question: How soon do you meet with Kevin Colbert and other members of the organization and begin to evaluate the free agency situation?
Mike Tomlin: Yesterday (Monday). Yesterday morning at about 9:01. That’s where we are. It’s one of the things that I enjoy about the offseason, about how closely Kevin and I get to work together, to share ideas and to begin the process of building this thing. Of course, he’s much further down the road than I am with regards to the draft and things of that nature. But I enjoy it at times, that we do what it is that we do and try to put together a winning formula.

Question: What sort of vibe did you get from Casey? Where is his head as far as coming back to Pittsburgh?
Mike Tomlin: I think he’s been pretty clear that he would like to be here.

Question: Did the word “franchise” come up?
Mike Tomlin: “Infancy” is my catch phrase of the day. Do you guys get the gist of that? It’s in its infancy.

Question: What are your thoughts on the year that Casey had and would you prefer to have him back next year?
Mike Tomlin: It was Pro Bowl-quality. I think his round-trip flight to Miami is indicative of that. And I’m interested in Pro Bowl-caliber guys that happen to be great guys and great teammates.

Question: Can you talk about Troy? The injury was obviously more serious than you initially thought. And also, moving forward with him, do you sort of have to proceed with the idea that, with the way he plays the game, he’s going to miss “x” number of games?
Mike Tomlin: I’m not ready to proceed with that assumption. Everybody saw what happened to him. They’re freakish things, things that come with playing this game. He initially got hurt trying to recover a ball on a blocked field goal. And in the scrum, somebody came down on his leg. That’s football. When you play football, things happen. It’s out of your control, to a certain degree. It’s the hazards of the industry, if you will. So I’m not ready to proceed with that assumption. I think that if it was something that was a non-impact or a non-contact injury, if he was just running and it happened or something, that maybe I’d have a different approach. But somebody jumped on the side of his leg in the scrum trying to go after a loose ball. No matter who that was, they would’ve been injured. From the second injury, he didn’t respond as quickly as we’d like. Don’t have control over that. All I can do is follow the expert advice of our medical people. They provided it, we weren’t able to stay in the fight long enough for him to fight his way back. The shame of it is is that he looked better and better as the week wore on, moving around a bit. But that’s football. That’s life.

Question: How is Ben [Roethlisberger]’s shoulder and is it anything serious that he’s going to need off-season surgery for?
Mike Tomlin: No, I don’t think that it is, but I don’t have specific, detailed information regarding it. But I don’t think it’s anything that’s going to require a medical procedure of any kind.

Question: During the five-game losing streak, it seemed like even the players had trouble putting their fingers on it. You mentioned a moment ago liking the fight that you saw in the last three games. Even if it was because of the uncertainty as to what was happening, during that streak, did you have a sense that that fight might not have been there consistently?
Mike Tomlin: Really, the only time that I was legitimately concerned about our level of fight, I thought that our level of energy in Cleveland was below the line. I thought that we got out-hit and out-hustled in Cleveland, and that was a concern. In the other games, I thought we were out-executed at times, I didn’t think that we made timely plays at significant moments. Ultimately, and really, this is kind of a mantra, if you will, what you strive for- we look to be dominant. We want to win decisively. Very rarely in this league are you going to be able to do that consistently. I understand that. When you’re not, you have to make timely plays. We weren’t dominant during that stretch, we didn’t make timely plays during that stretch, and it created that stretch. But within that, I thought that was the only game where it was below the line from a getting beat to the punch standpoint.

Question: How do you account for that? Given the circumstances, you would think that a division opponent would be the most desperate.
Short week, hostile environment, bad weather-all of those things are excuses to me. It’s irrelevant. The reality is that we put it on tape. Discouraging, disappointing, hacks you off, however you want to describe it. But again, as much ownership as we have to take over that stretch and that performance, we take ownership over all the games and the complete body of work and performance. And give them credit, I like the way they responded and played over the last three weeks, even though the performances weren’t dominant. And I don’t want to get away from that, because that’s what we desire to be. But the performances were timely. We made enough plays to be victorious in those games and keep ourselves in the hung, if you will.

Question: All your losses were close. As you go through and evaluate things, do you get find you’re being deluded because you were this far away on so many games?
Mike Tomlin: No, that’s the National Football League. Look at how many of our victories were like that. This is a fragile thing. It is. There’s a fine line between being 12-4 and 9-7, or 7-9, for that matter. That’s why you desire to be dominant. The more dominant you are, the more you keep yourself out of harm’s way of a play here or a play there. That’s what we desire to be first and foremost. I don’t know that we were dominant enough in ’08, but we did make timely plays and significant gains to keep us alive and give rhythm and find that dominance at stretches, particularly in January. We weren’t able to do it this year.

Question: Is there an update on Limas Sweed and his situation?
Mike Tomlin: None.

Question: You talked about this earlier today, are you as confident in your schemes and your philosophies? Or is that something that you wipe clean and re-acquire?
Mike Tomlin: It really kind of gets wiped clean, if you will, as part of the evaluation process, reviewing, and moving on. It’s the nature of this thing. This game is in continual evolution. It is, from players to personnel, schematics, how it’s legislated and officiated. It’s organic. That’s ever-changing. So that’s why I have the mentality that I have.

Question: Do you expect any more retirements? Not only from coaches, but also any players?
Mike Tomlin: Again, I don’t know. I acknowledge that that’s a potential or a possibility. It will reveal itself over the upcoming weeks or months.

Question: Unlike the uncertainty at times with Troy, you knew for some period that you’d be without Aaron Smith. Can you talk about the response of the team without him, schematically, execution-wise, and what you expect with him forward?
Mike Tomlin: I thought the guys that played did a nice job. We played a bunch of guys, and at times Brett Keisel wasn’t in there. I thought that Travis Kirschke gave us quality play when called upon, Nick Eason did the same. Travis missed some time; it created an opportunity for Ziggy Hood to play some. I think his pedigree is obvious; the arrow is pointed up on that young man. So I’ve focused more on the contributions on those that played as opposed to the loss of Aaron Smith. Injuries are part of it. He’s a special guy. When you lose him, it hurts. But that’s football.

Question: Do you anticipate him coming back?
Mike Tomlin: Yes.

Question: You used the word “special” to describe Aaron, “unique” to describe Troy. Are they so “special” and “unique” that the system as it currently is aligned is too reliant on them?
Mike Tomlin: No. Guys, I’m not going to sit up here and make excuses about guys that miss stretches of games. I’m so over that. You guys know me. I don’t care about guys that are hurt. Guys are going to get hurt. Guys that play are capable of playing above the line. Anybody have any questions about anything other than guys that miss stretches of games?

Question: Can you update us on possible offseason surgeries and maybe how some of the guys who have had surgeries are coming along?
Mike Tomlin: We’ve had some guys who have had some procedures even way back. I just met with Sean McHugh today, he’s doing well. Guys are in the process of looking at some medical issues. Nothing that jumps out at you, but I’m not denying that over the fact that people will get some clean up surgeries here or there. I’d rather them have them sooner than later. I’ll get some clarity on those things here over the next couple of days or week or so, if you will. But nothing that jumps out at me at this point.

Question: Aaron’s coming along okay? Darnell Stapleton, coming along okay?
Mike Tomlin: Yes, and yes.

Question: Do you think age was a factor on the defense not being as dominant as it was, and do you need to get younger on that side of the ball?
Mike Tomlin: I could see how you could assume that. But I think our lack of dominance had more to do with lack of quality play.

Question: Your quarterback continues to take more hits than any other quarterback. Is that something you just have to live with moving forward, or are you looking to rectify that?
Mike Tomlin: I’m looking to rectify that.

Question: Is this a team that needs much to compete for a title next year?
Mike Tomlin: How much is much? We’re in the process of discovering that and finding that out, or reviewing that. I’d like to think that we had enough good, quality people and top-notch players and coaches that we’ll perennially be in the fight. That’s my feeling. But I’m going to let the tape talk to me and guide me as we prepare for 2010. One thing that I acknowledge is that, like I always say, is that things rarely stay the same and you have to proceed with that assumption in mind.

Question: I was just curious if there are areas in the draft that you’re looking at?
Mike Tomlin: I don’t know enough about the draft as I sit here right now. I’m still coming to grips with the fact that I’m not preparing to play somebody this week.

Question: How much of what we see on Sundays is you? How much of your stamp is on what we see, or are you of the theory “I’ve hired my staff, I’m going to let them do what I hired them to do”? Or are you going to say “No, I don’t want it that way, I want it this way”?
Mike Tomlin: I accept responsibility for everything that’s on tape.

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Audio and video from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin post game press conference following the 2010, week 17 win against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday January 3rd, 2010. Transcript to follow!

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(On game in general) – “How about a little adversity, huh? That game right there is kind of a snap shot of how it’s been for us. I’ve seen it quite a few times these past couple of weeks, this is our bed and we’ve got to lay in it. It was also us who made the best of a bad situation too. I mean let’s be real; there are a lot of teams that are capable of going 6-and-10 or whatever, and facing the circumstances this team was faced with. They knuckled down and hung together, and did the best of their ability to fix it. We won our last 3 ballgames and gave ourselves a chance. We handled our business here today and did all that we could do coming down here, it wasn’t easy, it never is, but I got a great deal of respect for our football team; not only in terms of their closeness, but their willingness to fight.”

(On scoreboard watching) – “I don’t know that it was available to us today. I didn’t see any scores. What’s done is done. (Asked about Houston’s win) – “You just told me. I didn’t know.”

(On 3-game win streak) – “We have a singular goal every year and that’s to be world champs. We understand that there are 32 teams going for it and there can only be one. I’ve been in this league nine years and seven times I’ve been disappointed. That’s the reality of it. So if we’re not that team, so be it. I’m not interested in correcting problems; I’m interested in pursuing Lombardi’s, and hopefully winning them.”

(On the Dolphins comeback) – “That’s how they play the last few weeks leading up to today. They stormed back on Houston and Tennessee the week before that. We didn’t expect those guys to lie down, and quite frankly, we’ve been in those kinds of games, we’ve been up and relinquished some leads. So that was some familiar territory for us. It irritates the heck out of you but we didn’t panic just made the necessary plays to stay in it.”

(On Willie Parker and his big plays) – “He gave us everything he had, running that ball into that front that’s committed to stopping him, but not only him, the big men up front did a good job.”

(On a possible turning point from losing streak to now) – “In the last three games we made timely plays, in the five prior to that, we didn’t. Same football team, that’s how fragile it is in the NFL, that’s how fine a line, it is in the NFL and we respect that and we know that. I think that knowledge enabled us to fight and win the last three games.”

(On if they don’t make the playoffs will he look back and say what if) – “I’ve done it seven of the last nine seasons I’ve been in this league. That’s the nature of it, that’s what you do when you’re not the one that the confetti’s raining on.”

(On momentum from last three games carrying over to next year) – “No, there is no carry-over. This body of work stands on its own. Next year’s body of work is next year’s body of work. We didn’t carry over from last year, so it is what it is.”

(On if this season’s a failure) – “Yea, along with 30 other teams that don’t hoist the Lombardi.”

(On LaMarr Woodley having sacks as of late) – “He’s a guy that’s come on the late part of the season all three years he’s been here; evidently that’s a part of his game. It’s about rhythm, his moves come together, he develops a feel for it, and he sharpens his sword over the course of the season, which is good. You look for guys who are on the rise as the season goes on, and he’s proven through his first three years in the league that that’s kind of how he plays the game. And that’s what you need; you need guys whose arrows are pointing up at the end of the road.”

(On Super Bowl chances if they indeed make the playoffs) – “If I’m in, heck yea! Why not?”

Audio from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin press conference on Tuesday December 29th. Tomlin addresses the upcoming week 17 Miami Dolphins game on Sunday and takes questions on the past Ravens game as well. As far as injuries go, wide receiver Hines Ward (hamstring) is miserable with two hamstrings hurting. Tomlin says they are saving a seat on the bus for him and he should show up. Safety Troy Polamalu (knee) ran and did straight line work on Monday. He could see some limited practice work this week and the door is not closed yet on him playing. Defensive end Brett Keisel (stinger) aggravated his stinger again and will likely be limited this week. Guard Chris Kemoeatu (wrist) is still experiencing wrist weakness and his status is still up in the air for this week. Linebacker Rocky Boiman (calf) has a calf strain and will be limited. Running back Willie Parker (shoulder) has a shoulder sublexation and will likely be limited as well. Transcript to follow shortly.

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Mike Tomlin: Good Afternoon. I met with the team yesterday, I kind of evaluated our performance from the game and assessed our situation and really set the stage for us moving forward here this week. In reference to the game, not a dominant performance by any stretch but we made the necessary plays at timely moments to deliver a victory. I thought the sequence of events prior to the half was big offensively. Of course I thought the sequence of events on third and fourth down, the pressure provided by LaMarr Woodley late in the game was significant. We aspire to be dominant, when we’re not we need those timely kind of plays to get victory. We were able to do that. We’ll put that one behind us and move forward. Not talking a lot about some of the playoff scenarios and things of that nature. Truth be known because we put ourselves in this situation so we’re going to deal with it the best way we know how. What we are going to do is focus on the things we can control, that’s our preparation and ultimately our play this upcoming Sunday in Miami. All scenarios include us winning if we’re going to get in the playoffs, so that’s our focus, taking care of the things that are in front of us.

Preparing to play the Dolphins and ultimately and hopefully, putting together a winning performance. Part of that is looking at some injury things. We’ve got some what of a laundry list of some bumps and bruises if you will. Rocky Boiman has a calf strain, he could be limited at the early part of the week. Willie Parker has a shoulder subluxation. He’s definitely going to be out tomorrow, we’ll see how he improves as the week goes on. Brett Keisel is still experiencing discomfort involving his stingers. Chris Kemoeatu still has weakness in his wrist, significant weakness, hopefully we’ll get him some work at the latter part of the week and see if he’s able to play. Troy [Polamalu] ran yesterday in a straight line, is doing the same thing right now as we speak. Maybe he’ll practice in a limited capacity but really we’re taking it day-by-day in terms of how he responds to the workouts. Yesterday I think was a positive step, I’ll find about it today I guess when I’m done here and then we’ll move on from there. The doors not closed on him participating. The rest are that, bumps and bruises and alike.

Talking about the Dolphins and looking at them, let’s do that for a few minutes. Offensively, Ricky Williams is there guy, he’s a 1,000-yard rusher. Very talented guy of course, he does a lot of things running and catching. [Chad] Henne spreads the ball a round to a lot of people, [Davone] Best, [Ted] Ginn [Jr.], [Brian] Hartline and others. They’re very good at the screen game to wide receivers and running backs, they employ it a bunch. Quick passing is a part of their game. Very good on third down on the season. I think they’re in the upper 40% range in terms of third down conversions, probably has them in the top part of the league in that category. They average 32 to 33 minutes time of possession per game. When you’re converting third downs, dominate time of possession, you’re going to be in a lot of football games and they’re in just about everyone you turn on. Defensively of course they’re led by [Joey] Porter and [Jason] Taylor, their outside pressure men, both guys active-career NFL sack leaders. The tape justifies that. They apply big time pressure on the quarterback. Their corner tandem, young guys Vontae Davis and [Sean] Smith, starting as rookies, playing beyond their years. Vontae [Davis] of course is a very talented and physical guy he’s got four interceptions, [Sean] Smith is a big guy at 6-3. Very tough to drop balls in on both guys because of their stature and the way they play the game with a very physical nature. I just got word, I guess Channing Crowder is out for the year so there will be some turn over in the interior of their linebacking corps, but they’re a rock-solid defense, they come from a lot of angles. Coach [Paul] Pasqualoni does an awesome job with those guys highlighted by outside linebacker play and corner play. Of course we’ve got to be ready to deal with Ted Ginn Jr., not only as a wideout, he’s big-play capable but also in the return game. I was disappointed with that return to mid-field late in the football game on Sunday. Giving their offense a short field, our defense thankfully stood up and preserved the league, but that was a hairy moment. We could have some more hairy moments kicking this ball to Ted Ginn Jr., we’ve got to be on the screws in regards to that. Of course we got a shot in the arm from our own return game with Stefan Logan, I hope that continues here this week.

Question: There have been a lot of ups and downs these last two weeks, but they’re wins. How do you balance the need to win and making the changes you want to correct?
Mike Tomlin: Really, it’s just about winning football games, you look at the things that need to be corrected for one reason and that’s so you don’t repeat the same mistakes and it doesn’t cost you games as you move forward. When we came in and evaluated our performance yesterday, good and bad and so forth, that’s the premise of which we’ll look at the tape, solely to increase our chances of winning next time out. These games never unfold the way you envision them, particularly this time of year. I like the spirit of the group, they’re staying together, they’re delivering timely plays and it’s what we need.

Question: You played your quarterback last year in a game that had no meaning, what’s your take on these teams that are already in and aren’t playing their starters?
Mike Tomlin: I really have no opinion. I trust that those coaches trust are going to do what they feel is best for those football teams. I’m going to do what’s best for mine, very rarely do I pass judgment on decision making of other coaches in regards to their team because I don’t have a pulse of their group, what they need and I’m sure those guys do.

Question: Is there any sense of obligation as a head coach for the integrity of other teams who are vying for playoff spots?
Mike Tomlin: I think we’re all competitors and we play to win, I know I do. Every time we come out of that tunnel that’s the intent. The ramifications in regards to other people really is irrelevant to me. It’s more about the people I come out of the tunnel with and our commitment to this organization, our fans and our community. So when we come out, we come to play to win.

Question: Is this the first time Troy [Polamalu] has been able to do the straight line running? Is being able to cut on the knee going to ultimately determine this?
Mike Tomlin: I think he did a little bit of straight line running last week. He’s been running in the pool. He’s just progressing, trying to get ready hopefully to play.

Question: Is being able to cut on the knee going to decide whether he plays or not?
Mike Tomlin: Yes, no question. The unanticipated movement that comes with playing football, change of direction, dropping your weight and so forth is going to be critical to him gaining clearance to play. Absolutely.

Question: You didn’t list Hines [Ward]. How’s he doing?
Mike Tomlin: Hines is miserable, but I’m going to save a seat on the bus for him. He’s got two hamstrings and a myriad of other issues, it gives him a bad disposition. But he’ll show.

Question: Do you think the second one is from compensating for the first?
Mike Tomlin: I’m sure, in some form or fashion. But that’s Hines. He’s going to leave it out on the field. He’s going to give us everything he has. He was lying on the table down there this morning with two ice bags on his hamstrings when I walked in to check on him, so he’s in his usual good spirits.

Question: Can you talk about the return game? The touchdown hasn’t been there yet, but Stefan Logan has broken the team record for yards.
Mike Tomlin: It’s been consistently good from a kickoff standpoint all year. We haven’t had the house call, but it’s been consistently good. It’s provided us quality field position, it’s been a shot in the arm, and it’s been a positive. I think the punt return game has improved of late, which is encouraging. But we’re growing by leaps and bounds with Stefan and I think a lot of it has to do with understanding him, what he does well, and establishing some continuity between him and the guys that block for him.

Question: You mentioned the key to the sequence at the end of the first half, cashing in offensively. We’ve seen that be particularly so in light of how the third quarter unfolded. Can you talk about that, whether the team came out as “up” as you would have anticipated? Because Baltimore was making a lot of plays, although they didn’t cash in.
Mike Tomlin: I really have no excuse or explanation for the third quarter other than the fact that we didn’t play well and Baltimore did. I thought the group was ready to attack the second half; we had a fluid, normal communication at halftime. They just outperformed us in that quarter of play.

Question: You mentioned after the game that you thought about throwing the flag on that Derrick Mason catch-fumble, and they told you that they were going to rule that way anyways. Doesn’t that go against the spirit of the instant replay?
Mike Tomlin: I appreciated the information. It saved me a timeout, although I didn’t necessarily like it. But I appreciated the information.

Question: Was that the ref that told you that?
Mike Tomlin: Yes.

Question: After looking at it on tape, there seems to be some controversy about the fact that if Ben [Roethlisberger] was out of the pocket, that the call on [Frank] Walker before the [Tom] Zbikowski interception- is that a legitimate call? What is the rule there?
Mike Tomlin: He was in the pocket when the flag was thrown or when the infraction occurred. The only reason that I know that is because I watched the tape; I didn’t necessarily see it unfold in that manner during the game. Ben saw the flag when he worked back to his left and assumed, because of the location, that it was a defensive penalty, so he took a shot downfield. He was aware of the penalty prior to letting go of the football.

Question: Were you aware of it?
Mike Tomlin: I was.

Question: What was the discussion about calling a pass play? They’re out of timeouts; if you run one, they’re going to get it back with 1:20, 1:15?
Mike Tomlin: We thought we could move the chains; we didn’t want to give them the ball back was essentially our approach.

Question: What did you say to Tyler Grisham after that dropped ball?
Mike Tomlin: I’ll leave that between him and me. He’s a quality young man, he’s improving, and he provided a third-down conversion for us. Like some of the things that he’s doing.

Question: Miami had a lot of success in the past couple of years up until a few weeks ago in December. What are you seeing more recently with them?
Mike Tomlin: Looked at both games here in the past 24 hours, and really, it’s a product of the teams that they’re playing, in my opinion. They really came out hot; Houston came out of the locker room on fire this past Sunday, and some of the throws that Vince Young came out and made were spectacular for Tennessee. You know what Chris Johnson is capable of. It’s the nature of this thing. They’re competing. I like the way they fought back in that Houston game and really took it down to a one-possession game, to an onside kick opportunity and a chance. Houston had to convert a third down to avoid giving them the ball back. That’s the nature of this thing. It’s competitive every week. I know those guys over there, those coaches- Coach [Tony] Sparano and others-they’re competitive people. They are going to come to play and play every week. I have a great deal of respect for them.

Question: Is your experience against the wildcat with the Browns help, and how much time do you have to spend this week preparing for it?
Mike Tomlin: It does. We didn’t wait until we played Cleveland or anticipation of this game to prepare for it. Something that we started in the offseason because we realized this is a copycat league and that we’d see more of it. Preparation is one thing, play is another. We’ll see how we perform against it.

Question: Do they use less of it without Ronnie Brown?
Mike Tomlin: Yes, they do. They use less. They employ Pat White some, in there at quarterback. Of course they give some direct snaps to Ricky Williams as well, but it’s not what it was with Ronnie Brown. That’s the case for just about anyone else in the league that has it; unless you have Ronnie Brown or Josh Cribbs, it’s not quite as effective.

Question: Are you surprised and/or disappointed in your rush defense in the past couple games?
Mike Tomlin: It’s been disappointing, but we found a way to win the game and that’s ultimately what we aspire to do. We realize that if we stop the run and make people one-dimensional, we increase our chances of winning. That’s what makes it disappointing.

Question: Mike Wallace has gotten behind the secondary obviously more than a couple times this year. Is there anything that Ben can do to get the ball out there to him?
Mike Tomlin: Throw it early. He can run. He runs by people. He’s a talented guy; he’s providing timely plays for us and has for the better part of the year. He’s shown great maturity, he doesn’t ride the emotional roller coaster; he’s pretty consistent from a personality standpoint in terms of respecting the preparation process. Some games, he gets a bunch of opportunities, some he doesn’t get as many. But he’s the same guy every day and that’s one of the things that we appreciate about him.

Question: Is that something you saw in the offseason workouts and training camp?
Mike Tomlin: Really, it’s about training camp more than anything. Football is played in pads. A lot of guys look fast running around in spring in shorts. He did. But he looked fast in pads as well. He wasn’t intimidated when it got sticky, if you know what I mean. He’s a mature football player.

Question: Miami’s supposed to be a running team, yet they threw 55 times last week. Is that really a cry for falling so far behind, or are they changing their M.O.?
Mike Tomlin: I get asked a lot of personality questions, and a lot of times game circumstances and sequences dictate your personality. Houston came out and dropped a bunch of points on them in a short period of time. They got behind in a hurry. It made them one-dimensional. They had to attack the field vertically, which is of course what they did, and it got them back in the football game.

Question: You still need help if you win, obviously. If you win in Miami, would you be disappointed if the Bengals don’t go all out to beat the Jets?
Mike Tomlin: I could care less how the Bengals approach what it is that they do. This is our bed; we are going to lay in it. We created this situation. What we are going to do is control what we can control, and that’s our preparation for the game. We’re not going to cry over spilled milk. If there’s any level of disappointment in terms of how this thing unfolds, it will be on us.

Question: Along those lines, either you or Miami could be eliminated this weekend, and both teams; you mentioned [Channing] Crowder is out with a foot, and all of the other injuries you have. Talk about the intangibles and the things that you rally upon right now to move forward and give yourself the best chance despite maybe not being as physically capable as you’d like to be.
Mike Tomlin: Everybody’s got injuries. There are 32 teams; there are 32 teams with injury issues. It’s week 17. I think the motivation factors are obvious. If they aren’t, we have big problems.

Audio from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin press conference on Tuesday December 22nd. Tomlin addresses the upcoming week 16 Baltimore Ravens game on Sunday and takes questions on the past Packers game as well. As far as injuries go, wide receiver Hines Ward (hamstring) experienced a setback with his hamstring against the Packers and is day-to-day. Safety Troy Polamalu (knee) is having another MRI on his knee today and the results will determine his availability. He has not been ruled out yet. Wide receiver Mike Wallace (knee) suffered a laceration contusion to a knee, running back Rashard Mendenhall (hip pointer) suffered a hip pointer and defensive end Brett Keisel (stinger) suffered a stinger last game. All injured may be limited in the early week of practice. Transcript to follow shortly. Tomlin also announced the signings of wide receiver Joey Galloway and long snapper Jared Retkofsky.

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Mike Tomlin: Good Afternoon. I guess I’ll start recapping some of my thoughts there from the other night. Like I said the other night, it was great to provide some positive excitement for our fans, to get a win for those guys, to keep a pulse in this thing. That’s what we have. I like the way the men fought, we persevered through a little bit of adversity like always, like each Sunday provides. This time we came out on top , made a significant number of plays, in which to do that and hopefully we can build upon that this week as we get ready to play the Baltimore Ravens. Along those lines, a couple of announcements. Greg Warren was placed on IR, with an ACL injury, he’s been replaced by Jared Retkofsky. Of course, Jared [Retkofsky] snapped for us quite a bit of the season last year, through the playoffs and then the Super Bowl so it’s fortunate for us that a guy like that is available with that kind of experience but also, that kind of experience that comes with being a part of this thing and being in our locker room and kind of knowing how we do business. Jared’s [Retkofsky] ready to go, we’re looking forward to moving with him. Also, we placed Limas Sweed on the Reserved List, Non-Football Injury/Illness List, which will effectively end his season. He’s been replaced by Joey Galloway, who’s a guy of course is a guy that I have a background with, have some familiarity with, having worked with him in the past, but also, more recently, we’ve explored the potential of signing Joey [Galloway] last offseason. Of course, he went on from there to New England. He was available to us, he’s a veteran player whose resume speaks for itself. He’s one of those unique guys in that he’s in great physical condition for a seasoned veteran, he can run, he’s done just about all there is to do in this business other than win in the postseason which is what he told me. Hopefully he can provide us some energy and spirit for us in that regard, some savvy veteran leadership in a position that’s been depleted somewhat, that’s significant for us. Looking at the injury situation coming out of the game, Mike Wallace has a knee laceration or contusion that may limit him at the top of the week. Hines [Ward] may have experienced a minor setback with his hamstring injury, it’s probably definitely going to limit him at the earlier part of the week, we’ll evaluate him on a day-to-day basis. Rashard Mendenhall has a hip contusion, it’s probably going to limit him at the top part of the week. Brett Keisel has a stinger. Troy [Polamalu] is getting his MRI done today, I was hopeful that I could have some information for you by the time I got in here, but as you see in the recent weeks, I don’t always get what I want. We’ll update you when I get that information, the rest of the things appear to be minor bumps and bruises. Looking forward here to our challenge that we face here this week, the Baltimore Ravens, a familiar opponent. They have their personality, we have ours and when the two come together, it’s always pretty exciting. We’re fired up about that, we’re fired up about getting the opportunity to play in front of our home fans again. We’re fired up about having a pulse in this thing. That being said, we’ve got some work to do and a short period of time in which to do it. A lot of times, familiarity doesn’t breed comfort when you’re talking about a matchup such as this, they are who they are. Ray Rice kind of makes them go, running and receiving, we’ve got to contend with him better than we did the last time. Joe Flacco continues to get better and better in terms of leading them from the quarterback position. Derrick Mason is Derrick Mason, his usual body of work. Defensively, I think the key element of it is [Terrell] Suggs is back in action and we didn’t face him last time. We know what a game changing football player this guy is. That’s going to be a significant change in terms of preparing to play these guys particularly in and around the line of scrimmage from a run game standpoint and from the protection of our quarterback standpoint because this guy lines up in a variet of places, does a lot of things extremely well and a lot of what you do kind of starts with identifying where he is and what he’s capable of. Ray Lewis is still of course playing at a high level, Jarrett Johnson and the other cast of characters, [Haloti] Ngata, [Kelly] Gregg. Like I said, familiarity doesn’t necessarily make you comfortable. We’re excited about the opportunity. The staff’s working hard at putting together a solid plan. I met with the guys yesterday, reviewed our performance from the other day, took a little peek ahead at what we’re going to be facing this week and we’ll continue with that process starting tomorrow.

Question: Talk about how your team stacked up against the standards of being dominant and making timely plays.
Mike Tomlin: I think that’s where it starts for me, you’ve got a desire to be dominant, but at the same time I’m a realist. I acknowledge that every time you walk out of that tunnel, you’re not going to be a dominant team. When you’re not, you like to think that you put enough pieces in place and have a solid enough plan and enough understanding of your strengths in the matchups that you can make timely significant plays to win. Thankfully, we were able to do that on Sunday. I think it became increasingly clear as the game unfolded that the familiarity of the defense that the both offenses held was going to play a part in the outcome of the game, that’s how it unfolded. The offense that had the ball last one.

Question: Are you able to say what’s wrong with Limas [Sweed] and will Joey Galloway be your fourth guy?
Mike Tomlin: I think it’s appropriate right now that we say very little in regards to his personal issues. I will say this, it’s a non-football illness. He has our full support and anything else that I’ll say will be in regards to protect his privacy. Joey [Galloway], whether or not he’s a fourth wide-out or an active fifth wide-out or an inactive wide-out really depends on the speed in which he learns our football as we proceed through the week. He’s in the building right now working on those very issues. He’s played a little bit of football, it wouldn’t surprise me if he is capable of learning what to do.

Question: Regarding Joey Galloway, Corey Ivy, talk about the familiarity in the league.
Mike Tomlin: I think that’s just the signature of today’s NFL. There’s very few secrets from a personnel standpoint, you get exposure to a lot of guys. The information that you get leading up to the draft is so in-depth and significant that it starts there and as guys proceed through their career, you remain familiar with them either by playing against them or either studying them and evaluating them as they enter free agency. When you talk about some veteran guys that have been around and have been through free agency quite a bit and have played football in several cities, you’ve had an opportunity to come in contact with them professionally or informally. You understand what they’re capable of, you have a baseline understanding of their body of work. I really just think it’s a signature of today’s NFL.

Question: If Troy’s [Polamalu] MRI is positive, is there a good shot he plays this week?
Mike Tomlin: It is. The results of his MRI is going to dictate which direction we take like it has in recent weeks and we eagerly await those results.

Question: You played Joe Burnett a lot against Green Bay, do you anticipate any more changes in the secondary?
Mike Tomlin: We’re analyzing that as we put together this plan. I think each week, the matchup that your given dictates a lot of what you do. A week ago, we were playing Green Bay. Their signature’s multiple wide receiver sets three and four wide receiver sets. Their tight end is a big-time vertical threat. Baltimore likes to bring in an extra offensive lineman or tight end and fullback and things of that nature, so a lot of the decisions that we make in terms of the people we utilize will be based on the nature of the matchup and what we anticipate them doing.

Question: Have you gotten any feedback from the onside kick call, from around the team, around the league?
Mike Tomlin: You know I don’t look for feedback. I just try to win football games. My eight-year-old asked me what I was thinking. Other than that, I make no apologies. I try to get a feel for the flow of the game, try to decipher how it could potentially unfold, and how to increase my team’s chances of winning. What I told you after the game really was the thought process in the latter part of the third and all the way up through the fourth. I felt like both offenses were capable of moving the football, and making that decision to kick the onside kick started first and foremost with the belief that we could get the football legally. We weren’t able to do that, but even if we weren’t able to do that with four minutes and some change left in the game, if we were not able to stop them, I felt like we’d have a significant amount of time to navigate down the field. Now, that thought process of mine was geared toward them maybe kicking a field goal and being up by one and us having to kick a field goal to win, not necessarily with those guys scoring a touchdown, which is of course what they did.

Question: Based on that thinking and what’s happened in recent weeks, do you adjust what you feel it’s going to take on offense to win a game anymore because you’ve given up more on defense?
Mike Tomlin: I really approach it with how the game unfolds inside the stadium. I think a plan is one thing, but we all understand that games unfold differently than plans. I didn’t necessarily anticipate that game unfolding the way it did, but as you watch the game and watch it unfold, you realize that that familiarity that both offenses had with both defenses was going to be a factor in the outcome of the game. So you adjust plans and approaches accordingly, which is what we did.

Question: So that’s more a reflection of what went on than how you feel about your defense, sitting here right now?
Mike Tomlin: Absolutely. It was reflection upon how that game was unfolding inside the stadium on Sunday.

Question: Is that what you told your eight-year-old?
Mike Tomlin: No, I just told him to be quiet.

Question: Your familiarity with 3-4, did that in any way help you knowing some of their tendencies because their defenses are basically the same?
Mike Tomlin: I think it helped us in terms of indentifying potential blitz pickups, and finding holes in coverage, if you will. Of course it didn’t help us in terms of running the football; I think that Green Bay did an awesome job in defending some of our run formations and personnel groups. They brought in an extra defensive lineman and put in a 300-pounder in that C and D gap area, which made sledding tough in that regard. But that’s just the ebb and flow of football games and the strategy that comes with trying to play winning football. They did some nice things, we were able to do some nice things, and we were able to put together enough plays to win the football game.

Question: Rashard [Mendenhall] caught a lot of passes this Sunday. Can he be that triple-threat factor?
Mike Tomlin: I think that’s what we envisioned a few weeks ago when I said that his role would be expanding. With each day, this guy gains confidence and really, we gain confidence in what he’s capable of. He’s rock solid from an assignment standpoint and from blitz pickup, and I think it starts there. But he’s also increasingly sharp with regards to being where he’s supposed to be in terms of route distribution. He can catch the football; he’s been able to do that since the day that he walked in here. But he’s rounding out a complete game and really is becoming a guy that can help us in all areas, similar to what Ray Rice is doing in Baltimore.

Question: You mentioned about persevering in the face of adversity. That final drive seemed to have more negative plays of sacks, penalties, ineffective plays, and ultimately, plays that work. The plays that worked obviously, we see, cashed in. Talk about that last drive, please.
Mike Tomlin: It’s really kind of how our season has been. Some negative things, but guys persevered, made a significant, timely play. I thought that guys like Heath Miller were big-Ben [Roethlisberger] going to him on 3rd-and-15 with two deep men under coverage kind of speaks to the level of comfort that he has in that guy. I thought that was a significant play. We went back down to him in the middle of the field, which set us up around the 18-yard line where we utilized our last time out. We knew we could use the interior portion of the field because we had a time out, got us down to about the 18 where then we started taking shots at the end zone. Not easy shots to take based on the coverage we were looking at, and it was going to take the kind of throw that we had and the kind of catch that we had from Mike [Wallace] to be successful.

Question: Did Ben call all of the plays on that drive or did he receive those plays from the sideline?
Mike Tomlin: He received those plays from the sideline.

Question: You talked about the tight ends in this game-Heath had a good game against Chicago, you just talked about Heath having a good game- what kind of difference makers can they be in this kind of matchup?
Mike Tomlin: I think that’s an element of today’s NFL. These tight ends are unique animals. They’re tough men to cover, they’re usually too big and strong for secondary people, safeties and such, and just nifty enough and with enough vertical speed to create problems for most linebackers. I think those words can be used to describe both Heath and Todd Heap. They’re difference makers. They know how to work open spaces, they can find those spaces in zone, and they can create separation in man. A lot of what we do centers around Heath’s ability to work the inner portion of the field, and I think the same can be said for Baltimore.

Question: Has the game plan for the last two games been to get the ball to Heath a little bit more?
Mike Tomlin: No, we don’t necessarily respond to stats in terms of guiding us from a game plan standpoint. We want to play to our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. Obviously, Heath is a strength. Sometimes, he’s going to get more balls than others just based on how others formulate their plan.

Question: James Farrior said after the game that in the midst of a five-game losing streak, these guys question some of the things that they’re doing and second guess. Did that ever happen with you and the coaching staff?
Mike Tomlin: There’s an element of that, but I think that it’s constructive. I think that it wouldn’t be sharp not to deeply analyze what you’re doing and how you’re doing it when you’re in the midst of failure. So there’s an element of that. But is it manifesting itself in the form of mental weakness or anything of that nature? No. It’s just being committed to turn over whatever stone is necessary to win football games.

Question: When you game plan and identify certain guys defensively for the other team, I know Ed Reed is certainly one of them. Is he more so maybe than any other player than you guys face? Or is he just one of the guys right now?
Mike Tomlin: I don’t want to downplay the significance of Ed Reed. He’s one of those special guys, and he doesn’t need my endorsement. His body of work speaks to that. He’s a game-changer. He’s a defensive guy that’s capable of ringing up the scoreboard or getting the ball in his hands. It’s significant. He changes the way you attack the field vertically because of his range, and the cat-and-mouse game that he’s capable of playing with your quarterback, his understanding of route concepts. I think that he has physical talent that enables him to cover a lot of grass, but you don’t want to underestimate the mental capacity of a gentleman like that, because that’s required to cover the amount of grass that he covers as well.

Question: How did you evaluate Chris Carter as a corner? Do you expect him to do anything difference schematically in light of that throw?
Mike Tomlin: I’m not certain of their plans at this point, so I’d be speculating. I know that he is a viable both corner and return man, and that’s why we had an interest in him in the off-season.

Question: How have things changed psychologically now that you have a playoff pulse? Had this season been rendered over, would it have been a more difficult sell?
Mike Tomlin: I never pondered the possibility of losing, I never do. I don’t plan on failure. We had a pulse last week; we have a pulse this week. And that’s kind of my mentality.

Question: Your mentality is always to focus on the next game. How do you do that, balancing all of those issues out there about possibilities of the playoffs?
Mike Tomlin: Hey, if we don’t win, those possibilities out there are irrelevant. So it’s really kind of easy. It really is. We have to win. So that’s where our focus will be.

Question: Do you follow the possibilities?
Mike Tomlin: I have to; it’s the nature of my job. But really only from that standpoint. I haven’t looked at all of the playoff scenarios and things of that nature. I just know that we need to win to stay in the hunt. And that’s where my focus is. Usually, when I get those moments toward the end of the week where the plan is starting to take shape and you have a few moments to yourself, I’ll catch up on what’s transpired around the league over the course of the week. But as I sit here today, I have no idea what’s going on in the NFL this week.

Question: You talked about the familiarity of both teams with the 3-4. How much, if anything, do you think that played into them throwing the ball a lot, they didn’t have as much pressure?
Mike Tomlin: Very similarly to how we were capable to picking up their pressure and how we were able to attack those guys. I think they were able to do similar things to us. They didn’t throw the ball vertically down the field as much as we did, or as frequently as we did. I think their response was the quick game. I talked about them having some catch-and-run capable receivers. I think that was displayed in the game. But no question, I think that the familiarity from a schematic standpoint in terms of what the offenses were looking at was a factor in the game.

Question: With all the rules, changes, and the way they’re calling the games this year, is it tougher to play defense?
Mike Tomlin: If it’s tough for us, it’s tough for everybody. So I hadn’t analyzed it in that way. As long as the game is called the same way, I could care less how they call it.

Question: Last year, they said that [Jared] Retkofsky was moving furniture when he got the call. This year, he played in the UFL. Do you know his personal story since the season ended; do you know if he’d gone back to that furniture store?
Mike Tomlin: No, maybe he took a couple of weeks off after the UFL season. I’m not certain. I’m just glad that he was available because it is comforting to know, when you start talking about losing a long snapper- we’ve been down that road before here in Pittsburgh. So it’s good to have Jared available.

Question: In light of that familiarity with Green Bay and the changes that the respective offenses make, are you a little surprised at the lack of running with Green Bay? Did you anticipate more of that?
Mike Tomlin: I don’t control their play calling. They put their plan together to attack us, and let’s face it, the scored 36 points. So it’s tough to question.

Question: Is the running game becoming less significant also around the league? It seems like the top running teams are not the ones that are in the playoffs.
Mike Tomlin: I don’t know if that’s a new trend. People have their personality and they gear their personality towards how they want to play football. As long as it fits your people and there’s a level of belief in it, I believe there are many ways to skin a cat. Minnesota has a commitment to running the football, and they’re a winning football team. New Orleans has a commitment to running their offense through Drew Brees, and they’re a winning football team. I think it’s a level of commitment in terms of how you want to do football based on who your people are and put them in the best position to do what it is that they do.

Question: Have you changed your thinking over the past three years? Before you came in, you said how significant the running game was, a game of attrition, that sort of thing.
Mike Tomlin: Depends on when you ask me. Sometimes, when the plan is successful and we’re able to win by attrition, that’s the plan. When you have to make adjustments or when you’re unsuccessful like we’ve been of late, it doesn’t necessarily look like you intend it to look. That’s the nature of this thing.

Question: Did Santa pass over the South Side?
Mike Tomlin: Christmas is cancelled.

Here is the media interview of Steelers fifth round draft pick Joe Burnett after being selected 168th overall in the 2009 NFL draft.

http://io2.steelers.com/MediaContent/2009/04/26/12/090426_001_105076.mp3

Joe Burnett:

Do you see yourself coming here to return punts and kicks or to play cornerback?

I see myself coming in to play a little bit of nickel, return punts and kicks and kickoff as well. Whatever it takes, I’m going to do it.

[The Steelers] already drafted a cornerback in the third round. Does that hurt your chances?

I don’t think it hurts my chances at all because now that the draft is over, from the first slots to the seventh round, every guy has to come in and compete and work for a position. I feel like it is a draft, but now we are at the moment where we have to go in and work for a job. It doesn’t end right here. That’s how I feel about it. I went in the fifth round [at] such-and-such pick, but I feel like I’m in the same boat as the third-round pick at cornerback. Me and him are competing now for the job. And I want the job.

How do you think your style fits in with the way that the Steelers want their corners to play?

I think I fit in real well with it. Me and the coach [Ray Horton] talked about a lot of stuff and he told me he wanted me to come in and contribute at nickel and at special teams during my visit. And I think I fit in real well with playing in the quarters. I played quarters actually and playing a press guy over all positions. I think I fit in real well with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s actually where I wanted to be.

Here is the media interview of Steelers fifth round draft pick Frank Summers after being selected 169th overall in the 2009 NFL draft.

http://io2.steelers.com/MediaContent/2009/04/26/12/Summers_105074.WMA